LUNDQVIST beat ZHANG Jike before Kristian KARLSSON beat him

GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm

Swede Kristian KARLSSON will play in the semi final of the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm. In the quarterfinal the no.30 seed beat his compatriot Jens LUNDQVIST who caused the major upset only one round earlier. KARLSSON prevailed in straight games (12-10 11-6 11-6 11-3).

Previously against the odds required to compete in the qualification stage of proceedings Jens LUNDQVIST beat China’s ZHANG Jike former World champion reigning Olympic Games champion and the third seed to reserve his place in the quarter-finals. LUNDQVIST with some 1 500 fans on their feet beat ZHANG Jike in six games (11-6 5-11 11-9 11-3 5-11 12-10). Kristian KARLSSON beat Canadian qualifier Eugene Wang in six games (11-6 5-11 11-9 11-3 5-11 12-10).

There was also success for colleague Anton KÄLLBERG but it was defeat for Pär GERELL. Anton KÄLLBERG beat fellow qualifier Russia’s Vasiliy LAKEEV (11-6 11-9 11-9 11-4) the match concluding prior to the defeat of Pär GERELL the no.15 seed at the hands of China’s LIANG Jinkun the no.24 seed (11-5 11-6 11-13 11-9 5-11 11-3). In the quarterfinal KALLBERG lost his encounter against FAN Zhendong of China.

Frenchman Tristan FLORE and Japan’s Yui HAMAMOTO won the respective Under 21 Men’s Singles and Under 21 Women’s Singles titles in Stockholm. It was for FLORE his second such career title having won in Qatar in 2014; for Yui HAMAMOTO it was her third. She emerged successful in the Czech Republic in 2013 and early this year in Hungary.

In the final FLORE the no.11 seed accounted for Croatia’s Filip ZELJKO a player had been required to negotiate the preliminary stages and was not seeded (11-7 11-9 5-11 11-6). In the semi final FLORE beat Hong Kong’s HO Kwan Kit the top seed by the narrowest of five game margins (9-11 6-11. 11-7 11-4 15-13).In the counterpart semi-final Filip ZELJKO had beaten Sweden’s Elias RANEFUR the no.15 seed (11-8 12-10 9-11 8-11 11-6).

Yui HAMAMOTO duly clinched the title by overcoming Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS the no.10 seed at the final hurdle (11-8 11-5 6-11 11-9); the Romanian in the counterpart semi-final having overcome Singapore’s ZHOU Yihan the no.2 seed (6-11 9-11 11-5 11-4 11-7).